Air Abrasion

Air abrasion is a relatively new technique that is a part of the micro-dentistry field that helps to treat patients who suffer from tooth decay and it helps out with preparing patients for tooth restoration as well. We offer the best air abrasion in Orange, CA. Before air abrasion techniques dentists would use extremely loud dental drives to remove decay and prepare teeth for restoration, but now with air abrasion dentists are able to help people with these types of problems in a quiet and effective way. Air abrasion just so happens to be pretty similar to sandblasting in that it uses very tiny particles to help remove plaque and decay before a filling is applied to the decaying tooth.

Anesthetics are usually not necessarily required for an air abrasion procedure, and this gives a dentist a lot more freedom in being able to do many teeth within one appointment making their work much more effective and not take so much time as it did in the past. The primary goal of all air abrasion techniques is to make sure that a dentist can remove areas of early decay and also make sure that he or she is preserving the tooth to the best of their abilities.

The following are some of the really great advantages that air abrasion can offer to dental patients:

The natural tooth is more often left untouched than other alternatives

Anesthesia is not needed in many cases of air abrasion

There aren’t any loud noises or vibrations that can make patients feel uncomfortable

The procedure is much easier and a lot quicker

The risk of further damage to the teeth is reduced tenfold through air abrasion

Teeth are dry after air abrasion, which makes it a lot easier for placing the fillings in the teeth

Who can benefit from air abrasion?

One thing about air abrasion, which makes it pretty similar to a lot of other dental procedures, is that it is not the best procedure for everyone to endure, and the best options of patients for something like air abrasion are patients who are afraid of drills, children and people who just so happen to have pretty minor cases of dental tooth decay. By going to your dentist on a regular basis and spotting out cavities before they get painful and start forming on the surfaces of your teeth you can be more available to a procedure like air abrasion.

Tooth decay is not the only instance in which air abrasion can be applied, and air abrasion is also very useful for things like removing existing fillings, preparing your teeth for some type of sealant and removing stains from teeth. Metal fillings are not used after an air abrasion for a variety of reasons, and so if you get an air abrasion procedure you are more than likely going to get a composite filling.

What is involved with the air abrasion procedure?

Dentists will typically do pretty intense examinations of teeth and decide whether or not air abrasion is going to be the most effective option, and if it is decided to be the most effective option then you will be scheduled for a procedure.

At the procedure there will be cotton balls and rubber dams used inside the patient’s mouth so that the dentist can distinguish and make sure that the other teeth in the patient’s mouth are not affected by the particles of aluminum oxide that are sprayed on the affected teeth. Then pressurized air is blown with a lot of force so that the other sprayed on particles can start to remove the tooth decay.

Dentists will typically use a really unique red dye to make sure that the traces of tooth decay are completely gone by the time the procedure ends, and this is of course a very effective way for the dentists to make sure that the job is completely done. At this point an acid solution will be poured on to the tooth decay areas so that the area will start to get rough and tough before the filling is then placed in the appropriate area. Then the composite filling is placed and dried until it looks completely natural, and then you’re done!

If you have questions about this procedure or anything at all please give us a call at our local office number or email us for more information.